K9 Unit: The 5th Generation
by Ace Retriever
Summary: With no owner, Ace Retriever's life was filled with misery. That is, until he joined the S.A.U. Currently featuring characters from: Balto, Krypto the Superdog TV series.
1. New Recruits!

Ace walked down the empty dirt road like he always had for what seemed like all of his life. Unlike most of the other dogs, Ace had no owner or anyone that would care for him. All he could do was walk alone and hope that some caring person would find him. But moving on!

Ace was getting tired, and the hot sun was burning through his long blonde fur. There was no shade or source of water nearby, so Ace's chance of continuing his life-long journey was starting to slim. After a few more minutes of walking, Ace's legs gave out. There on the ground, Ace cried. But not even his tears could cool him down, for they would evaporate as soon as they came out.

"Please!" Ace cried, "I need some help!" At that exact moment, a green flash surrounded the entire area, and a silhouette of a dog appeared before him.

"He's the one, alright," it said, examining Ace. "But he looks like he could die at any moment."

"Well, hurry up and take him to HQ!" said a voice from an earpiece that the dog was wearing.

The silhouette lifted Ace onto his back. "Hang on, kid," it said, "Try to stay alive, okay?" Ace was a bit surprised at what was happening, but he didn't object to the sudden abduction. So he just gave in, and passed out.

"I think he's awake!" someone shouted. Ace recognized the voice as the same dog who had taken him to shelter. He opened his eyes and looked around. There was only one person in the room, and that was a Kelpie. Ace jumped to his feet and stared the Kelpie straight in his eyes.

"Where am I!?" he demanded. The Kelpie smiled.

"Wouldn't it be smarter to know who I am _first_?" the Kelpie said. "But if you must know, this is the Headquarters for the Canine Branch of the Super-powered Animals of the Universe, or S.A.U (Pronounced "Saw") for short. I'm Ranger, and you are?" Ranger extended a paw of welcoming.

"I'm Ace," Ace replied, shaking the paw. "This place sounds important…"

"It is," Ranger said, "Dogs from different countries, planets, galaxies, and even time-periods gather here to fight crime. That's why you're here!"

"ME!?" Ace cried. "Why me? This is for the Super-powered, right? I have no powers. The only thing I can do is sit on command!"

"Oh, but you _do _have powers, you just haven't discovered them yet." Just then, a Gray Daschound came running through the door.

"Is it true, Ranger? Is the new recruit awake?" The Daschound was running so fast that instead of stopping when he applied his brakes, he slid straight into the wall.

"Ummm… Yeah, that's Speedy, he's the brains around here." Ranger said, as Speedy walked over to the two.

"It's nice to meet you, Ace!" Speedy said. "I over heard the conversation, and it's true! You have powers, they just need to be awakened."

"Do you know when they'll awaken?" Ace asked Speedy.

"Probably during the G5-Power Test. But even if you fail-which rarely happens- you'll still be in the force!"

"Speaking of which," Ranger said to Speedy, "shouldn't we be heading towards the test room?"

"Oh, you're right! See you later, Ace! Ranger, show Ace to the test room." And with those last words, the Daschound ran out of the room at Mach 2.

"Stay close, Ace, this place huge and it's easy to get lost in."

Ace was but a small dot within the large crowd of canines, who were all talking, joking and playing around. Ace decided to walk through the crowd and take a look at the other recruits. At one point Ace had stepped on the paw of a white dog with a cape.

"Hey, what in the- huh?" he said, looking down at the Retriever puppy.

"I-I'm sorry, honest!" Ace stammered.

The dog just smiled and said, "It's okay, little guy; I know you didn't mean to."

"Thank you, sir!" Ace said. Before the white dog could say another word, the lights dimmed and Speedy stepped onto the stage.

"Welcome, all, to the Test Room of the Canine Unit of the S.A.U.! Here, you will be tested for hidden powers and abilities. We now ask that you all go into the lobby and wait to be called to the Test Room. All clear? Good, you may depart."

Ace decided to stay close to the white dog, since he felt nervous around everyone else. The other dogs were chatting by the time the 8th dog was called. Ace and the white dog just sat and waited.

As a husky-wolf hybrid, apparently named Balto, stepped out of the test room, the intercom called out for the next dog. "Krypto! Please report the Test Room Stage!" The white dog turned to Ace, winked, and said, "Wish me luck, kid." Ace nodded and smiled, happy to know the dog's name. That was when he turned his attention to Balto.

Balto was lying down in a corner. Every now and then he'd sigh and become misty-eyed. Ace, against his own better judgment walked over to the hybrid.

"I'm sorry to bother you, sir, but it something the matter?" Ace asked.

Balto looked up in surprise. "Huh? Oh, hey there. Yeah, but I don't think you could understand it…"

"It's okay, you can tell me."

"Well, I was in the middle of a picnic with my wife's family. And then all of a sudden, this Daschound appears out of nowhere and transported me here. All I can do is sit here and worry about my family…" Balto's eyes began to mist again.

"I understand you," Ace confirmed. "All you want to do is go back to your family, right?" Balto nodded. Before Ace could speak again, the intercom called out his name. Ace bided farewell to Balto and started to walk towards the door, but that journey didn't last long.

"Wait! There's no way I can get through here! I'll get trampled!"

"I can take care of that, Ace," Balto assured, and lifted him by the scruff of the neck. It didn't take long for Balto to reach the door. Once they reached their destination, Ace thanked Balto. "No problem!" Balto said and turned to leave. Ace looked the door for a couple of seconds before walking through the door.


	2. Generation 5 Power Test

With all of the other dogs out of the room, the Test Room looked enormous. And darker… Ace thought there were more lights on in this room.

"Welcome, Ace!" Ranger greeted. He stood inside of control panel which obviously hadn't been there before. Behind him, Speedy was pacing impatiently. "Are you ready for the test?"

"Of course," Ace answered with false courage. "What do I have to do?"

Ranger pressed a button and three treasure chests mysteriously appeared in front of him. "This test is easy. All you have to do is pick a chest, open it, and you're through. Easy, right?"

Ace's tail began to wag. "That's all? Gosh I thought it'd be _way _harder than _this_." Ace walked to chest in to the left. He started to open the chest and then stopped. Something wasn't right about this. "What's in the chest?" Ace asked suspiciously.

"Look and see," Speedy said with a sly grin. Looking around as if something were watching him, he slowly opened the box and looked inside. A bright light came out of the box and it and the box itself, and the other boxes faded away.

"That's it? Am I done?" Ace asked hopefully, though he already knew the answer. Ranger shook his head and motioned for Ace to turn around. There, right in front of Ace's face was a tall, snarling German shepherd. Ace's expression suddenly changed to something like this: O.O; and after recognizing his situation it changed to this: T.T

"Now comes the real part of the test," Ranger said. You have to battle against the opponent you've chosen… and live." Ace's jaws dropped.

"What do you mean by 'opponent I've chosen? I didn't _choose _to fight him! You tricked me!"

Ranger shook his head. "You had a feeling that something bad was about to happen, yet you went on. We didn't trick you at all."

"Well, before I die, I'd like to know what was in the other two boxes."

Speedy smiled sheepishly. "Oh, just a dandelion and a piece of cardboard; but don't feel discouraged, a majority of the other recruits choose the same thing as you."

Ranger's face had serious expression on it now. "Let's cut the chit-chat, your test starts….NOW!"

The shepherd lunged at Ace and knocked him to the ground. Ace got lucky and avoided the shepherd's next attack, a vicious swipe at the neck. Ace, now beginning to overcome his fear, snapped at the shepherd's left foreleg. The shepherd howled in pain and tried to throw Ace of, but to no avail.

_He's got a great grip, for a pup, _Speedy thought.

Ace purposely let go of the shepherd's foreleg, which now had a small, bleeding cut, and attacked the back leg. This time, the shepherd banged his leg against the wall. Ace was smashed against the wall had fallen to the floor. All four of Ace's legs were now broken. The shepherd took advantage of Ace's situation and was now hammering down on Ace's feeble body. Ace knew that he wouldn't be able to take the beating much longer, and that in his current state he wouldn't be able to avoid it. Ace's eyes locked with Ranger's for a second, before closing.

"Help…me…" Ace tried to yell, but it came out as a pained whisper.

Speedy looked worryingly towards Ranger. "Ranger, we need to stop the test! He'll be killed!"

Ranger, still looking at the battle, said "I want to… but I can't; the test is to fight the opponent and survive. He either lives, or dies…"

"He's no adult! This is too much for him. We have to stop the test!"

"How many times do I have to tell you, I CAN'T?" Ranger yelled, tears streaming down his face. "But I want to…" Ranger's eyes suddenly got wide. He stared at what was happening. The shepherd continuously beat upon Ace, and Ace's body bounced with each hit. But with each hit, Ranger would become angrier, and angrier…

"Ranger…" Speedy said when he heard Ranger growling. "Are you okay?" He tried to place a paw on Ranger's shoulder, but Ranger just knocked it away, growling louder. Ranger was beginning to have a headache. He held his head, but the headache continued to worsen. He stumbled around dizzily and feel to the floor, grimacing. Speedy ran over to see if he was okay, but stepped back when he noticed Ranger's fangs lengthen. _What's going on?! _Ranger thought, _what's happening to me? I want it to stop!_ Ranger then opened his eyes and roared, "THAT'S ENOUGH!!!"

It was as if time stopped. Speedy frozen with fear, the shepherd had stopped assaulting Ace and stared at the control panel, and even Ace's pain stopped enough for him to look at the control panel. Ranger slowly got up and pressed another button. The shepherd disappeared, and a bright shone throughout the whole room. In a matter of seconds Ace had healed, though Ranger was still in his crazed state. Ace ran over to Speedy.

"What's going on?" he asked a frightened Speedy. Speedy tried to speak, but no words came out.  
_Ace… Speedy…is it over? _Ranger thought. His headache had disappeared, and his fangs shortened back to normal length; he was back to normal. Ranger, knowing it was all over, passed out.

In the K9 Unit Emergency Room...

"I don't get it," Speedy said pacing back and forth. "Ranger never behaved like that during the other test, and the other Recruits were in a worse condition then you were, Ace."

_Worse condition?! _Ace thought, _I got lucky!_ Ace though, had more than that on his mind. "Did I past the test? I mean, I (barely) survived the battle."

Speedy shook his head. "The test was to survive the battle _and _discover your power(s). I wasn't supposed to tell you about the other part," Speedy added when he received a confused glance from Ace. "If we'd told you everything, you'd have less of chance to discover your power(s)."

"Oh… and what about the other Recruits? Will they ever get to take their test?"

"On another date. But for those who have already taken their test, we, the whole K9 Unit Council minus Ranger, have divided you into teams of three. The teams should be posted right outside the lobby. Go check it out."

Ace ran to a huge sign where a lot of dogs were gathered. The font was big, so you could see what it said from a distance. There was a small part that caught Ace's eye that had Ace and his teammates. It read"

**TEAM 16: Krypto, Ace, Balto.**

And by coincidence the three teammates were standing beside each other.

"Well," Krypto said, "This'll be a great team. We already know each other."

Balto nodded. "Do you think that's why they put us together?"

"It might've been pure coincidence." Ace said. "But either way, I'm glad to be on a team with you guys." Ace put his paw in the middle of the three. Balto put his paw in top of Ace's, and Krypto put his paw on top of Balto's. The three then lifted there paws and shouted, "Team 16!" in unison, causing the dogs around them to stare in confusment.


	3. Watching out for ya

Speedy, Ace, Krypto, and Balto ran to the entrance of the in-base hospital. Ranger was being realesed today, and Ace and Speedy wanted to be there to greet Ranger when he walked through the door.

"I can't wait 'till he comes out," Ace panted when they reached the entrance.

"It's going to be so great him again," Speedy said.

"Okay, now that we've stopped, you two can finally tell us who you're trying to meet?" Krypto suggested, as Balto collapsed.

"RANGER!!!" Speedy and Ace shouted as the black Kelpie exited the hospital, causing Krypto to fall out of surprise onto poor, exhausted Balto. Balto didn't have the energy to yell, or even bark, so he just let out a pitiful moan.

"Ace, Speedy, glad to see you again," Ranger said. Ace jumped Ranger's back, while Speedy ran circles around him. "Speedy, you're acting like a pup," Ranger laughed.

Speedy stopped in front of Ranger. "Sorry, lost control there," Speedy said.

Ace playfully nipped at Ranger's ear. "And I see that you've become accustomed to the base," Ranger said to Ace.

"Yeah, it's so great here, especially the arcade room!"

"And you've made some new friends, too?" Ranger asked looking at Balto and Krypto.

"Uh-huh! The big one is Krypto, and the one underneath him is Balto."

"Nice to meet you, Ranger," Krypto said, lifting himself off of Balto. Balto groaned what was supposed to be a "Hi." He still hadn't got off the ground.

"Likewise," Ranger nearly laughed. "Hey, there's something I've got to show you three; follow me. And… is he going to be ok?" he added when passing Balto.

"I pray," Speedy laughed.

"I'll take care of him," Krypto assured, lifting Balto onto his back.

In the lobby

"Ok, now does anyone know what this is?" Ranger asked, pointing to a poster of a watch."

Speedy's eyes grew wide in absolute amazement. "The Anthro Watch V.5…"

"Anthro? You mean like animals that have human qualities?" Krypto asked.

"That's right!" Ranger said. "This little device has been under development for 4 years, and today, it's finally ready for use." Ranger walked to a large gray machine beside the poster and pressed a bright red button and a shiny gray Anthro Watch slid out of the chute. Ranger slid the watch on his wrist and pressed a key on the watch, and it immediately changed its color to a bright red. He then pressed another key and a white aura outlined his body.

Ranger's body began to lengthen; his paws turned into human-like hands and feet, but there were still some dog traits, like the paw pad, still visible in them; his shoulders broadened; each and every limb in his body become visible. Blue jeans and a white t-shirt appeared on his body. The aura had left Ranger, who was on hands and knees. He slowly rose to his feet. Ranger had become Anthro.

Ace stepped back in slight fear. Was this person still Ranger? He has Ranger's scent, which should have given Ace the perfect reason to believe he was the same guy; but the total transformation may have said otherwise.

Ranger heard Ace utter a tiny growl and understood what it meant. "Hey, there's no need to be afraid, Ace. I'm still me." Ranger took a step towards Ace, who in response took a step back and ended up against the wall. Ranger stepped in front of Ace and bent down, reaching his hand out. Ace's tail tucked itself between his legs. He closed his eyes as the hand drew nearer, but opened back when he felt the hand rubbing the top of his head.

"See, no need to be afraid," Ranger said, scooping up Ace in his arms, carrying him like a house pet. The others looked up at Ranger, who now stood over them by a couple of feet.

"I'm sorry, Ranger…" Ace apologized.

"It's alright, I totally understand," Ranger assured. "You know, I was the only canine on the base to volunteer to be a test subject during development, and now I'm starting to regret it…"

"Why what happened?" Ace asked.

"Let's just say his original fur color was brown," Speedy replied.

"But anyways, it's your turn," Ranger said, putting Ace down and then handing out four more of the shiny grey watches.

Ranger gave the instructions for how to transform. "First," he began, "The watch has to get used to collect the identity of its wearer, so press the ID button on the side of the watch." Ace pressed the button, and the watch's color changed to silver. "Now the watch won't work for anyone but you.

"Now, to undergo the transformation, press the button on the opposite side to start. You may feel a tiny tingle, but it's nothing serious." Speedy, Krypto, and Balto, who had recovered when they reached the lobby, activated the transformation immediately. Ace looked over at the three, who were shrouded in the aura, and hesitated.

"Will we be able to change back?" he asked Ranger.

Ranger smiled. "Of course you will! Trust me; undergoing this transformation is nothing to be afraid of." Ace took the reassuring words from his friend and pressed the key.

Ace's body was enclosed within the white aura; all sound was blocked out. He tried to look through it to see Ranger, but all he could see was a grayed-out figure. He tried to move his body, but the aura seemed to paralyze him. Three more figures walked into view, a wiry one about 5'9" in height, a muscular one about 6'0", and an average one also about 5'9" in height (Also, in case you were wondering, Ranger is 5'9" in his anthro form as well.) Ace tried to make out what was happening; from what he could see, it seemed that the muscular one was looking down and pulling on what looked like a jacket. The wiry pointed over to Ace and was saying something to Ranger, who began to rub the back of his head in thought. He tried to make out what Ranger had said next, but lost concentration when he felt his body stretching. His eyes shut themselves, although Ace had long since gotten over his fear, putting him in a miniature world of darkness without even the faintest hint of light. He became sleepy, yet felt right awake as if put in a trance. He began to feel light-headed, and soon after became powerless… He could do nothing but let the transformation continue.

"Ace, you can open your eyes now," Ace heard Ranger say. Ace's eyes popped open. He was no longer in his trance-like state. Ace stood up on his two legs (He stood around 4'5", and was wearing a red shirt and blue jeans.) and looked around. Things looked _way_ different when on human-like legs. He then checked out the three figures that he had seen while transforming.

The muscular one was Krypto, who was wearing an open, black jacket with a black t-shirt and black jeans.

Balto, the wiry one, had a short-sleeved gray shirt with the words "The world doesn't revolve around you… It's too busy revolving around me," written in bold, black words on the front, and grey jeans.

Speedy, the average one, was wearing a short-sleeved blue shirt with the word, "iRock" written with a spray paint like effect to it, and blue jeans.

"That was weird," Ace said, giving his own self a shake.

"See, what did I tell ya?" Ranger said. "It was nothing to worry about, right?"

"Yeah…" Ace said, though for a split-second during the transformation, he thought he had died.

Ranger smiled. "Okay, let's head over to the lounge."

"A Lounge?" Balto cocked his head to side in amazement. "This place has everything!"

LOUNGE

"I need to talk to your friends for a moment, okay Ace?" Ranger said. "So, uh, why don't you go over and play some of the arcade games over there okay?"

"Okay, Ranger." Ace responded, walking over to a "Galaga" machine.

Ranger turned his attention to Krypto, Balto, and Speedy. "As you guys know, Ace failed his Power Test." The three nodded in unison. "And uh… I'm pretty sure that, even though he doesn't show it, he's still a bit sensitive of fact that he hasn't discovered his powers yet."

"Yeah, probably so…" Balto sighed, for he had also failed the test and was still feeling a bit irked.

"So, I was hoping you guys could help me out a bit; you know, don't mention the anything about special abilities, or powers, or whatever, but still try to give him a little push; help him discover his power. I mean, its mega hard on pups around his age who fail the test (Yes, there are some pups in the Unit.); it could lower his self-esteem, make him less active, you know, things like that."

Balto and Krypto gave Speedy a confused glance, but Speedy just shook his head slowly.

"We'll see that to it that Ace will discover his powers, Ranger," Krypto reassured. "Balto, get Ace and we'll head back to the apartment (Each team was given their own apartment within the base.)."

Ranger was about to exit the lounge, but Speedy stopped him.

"Ranger, you really are looking out for Ace…" Speedy's voice trailed off when he saw the solemn look on his friend's face.

"Speedy… I don't want him to end up like I did." His voice was deep with concern. "I'm going to make sure of it."

This may seem random, but now that the chapter is over, I think it's time that I tell you why it took me so long to type 1,586 words. It's because I had to redo this chapter THREE FREAKIN' TIMES! This was actually the hardest chapter to any story I've ever made. Ok, I gave you a reason, time to scoot along.


	4. Balto's inner strength!

To the left…then the right…back to the left…and again to the right… Ace's head tilted in whatever way Krypto tilted the strip of beef jerky.

"Man, I could do this all day!" Krypto chuckled. Ace didn't respond, for it seemed he in a trance. "What else should I do?" he pondered. "Oh, I know! Sit, Ace."

"As you command…" Ace moaned, sitting on the floor, and then snapping the jerky out the air when Krypto threw it. Unlike the Balto and Krypto, Ace had decided to stay in his normal form the next day.

Krypto rolled onto his back, howling with laughter. Ace snapped out of the trance and stared at his friend. "Why are you laughing?" Ace asked.

"No reason," Krypto lied, wiping tears from his eyes. "Look what I've got for you, Ace." He teasingly pulled another strip out of the bag, putting Ace under another trance. "Does Acey want a wittle tweat?"

"Yes, sir…" Ace moaned.

"Okay, Krypto, that's enough," Balto said, walking by and taking the bag away and throwing the newly brought out jerky strip to Ace. "It was cute the first few times, but now it's just straight sad."

"Eh? What is?" Ace said, snapping out of the trance.

"Don't worry about it," Balto responded.

"Oh come on, Balto, it wasn't hurting anyone," Krypto said.

"Yeah, but it was humiliating Ace!" Balto shot back.

"Wha-?! What did he do?" Ace growled.

"Nothing at all, Ace," Krypto lied, with a falsely reassuring voice.

"You know, Krypto, one day Karma's going to come back at you and bite you in the-" Balto's sentence was cut off due to a loud beeping sound.

"Whoa, this story has great censorship," Balto said.

"That's no censorship, that's my watch!" Ace ran to his bedroom, and grabbed his beeping watch from the bed.

"Call from Ranger," the watch read. "Would you like to answer?" Ace pressed a key, and Ranger's face appeared on the screen.

"Yo, Ace! How's it hangin'?" Ranger greeted.

"Pretty well, dawg, pretty well," Ace said. "So, what do you need?"

"I need you to me meet me at the training center in a couple of minutes. I've sent you a map and some directions so you won't get lost."

"Uh… ok. But what are we going to be doing, Ranger?"

"What most people do at the center, train! Oh, and bring the Anthro watch with you."

"Ok, gotcha!" Ace signed off and headed towards the center, pondering on what type of training Ranger would have in store for him.

Training center

"Defense training?" Ace asked.

"That's right." Ranger had just finished setting up one of the center's training robots. "All you have to do today is block and counter this robot's attacks."

"How long do have to do this?"

"Hmm… I think half an hour will be enough. Don't worry, you'll take a break after 15 minutes," he added when he saw Ace's worried expression. "But you do know how to block and counter, right?"

"Err…" Ace knew how to block, but not that well; and he had never even heard of countering.

"Okay then, I'll show you," Ranger said, setting the robot's dial to "Medium Attack."

The robot charged towards Ranger at a moderate running speed. When it was close enough, it threw a punch at Ranger, who easily stopped its attack with his arm. "That's a block," he told Ace.

The robot backed away and repeated the attack. Again, Ranger blocked it, but this time, he threw the robot off and gave it swift punch in its abdomen. "And that's a counter," Ranger said, watching the robot fall to the ground.

"I have to that for 30 minutes?" Ace asked, watching Ranger turn off the robot.

"What's wrong, you can't handle it?" Ranger teased. His taunt had the desired effect.

Ace puffed out his chest and confidently said, "Psh, 30 minutes? I _know _I can handle it!"

Ranger turned set the machine for "Low attack" and "30 min." "Okay, Ace, here it comes!"

Ace was already bracing for the first attack.

Team 16's Apartment

"Wonder who that could be?" Balto pondered aloud, putting his book down and walking towards the door. "RANGER, WHAT IN THE WORLD HAPPENED?!"

The Kelpie wore a sheepish grin on his face, and was carrying a severely beaten and heavily bandaged Golden Retriever, no other than Ace. "Let's just say he got a little overconfident," Ranger said, handing over the knocked out victim.

"I think that'll suffice," Balto accepted.

The next day

"What happened?" Ace said, rubbing his head. There was no response. He looked around, now noticing that he was alone in his room. The clock on his nightstand claimed it to be 9:00 A.M. _No way, _he thought, _I've been knocked out for almost the whole day! _

He walked out of his bedroom and into the living room, where Balto was lying on the couch reading the unit's newspaper, _The Paw Print_. Balto looked up, his tail wagging ferociously.

"I'm glad to see you're ok!" Balto said, walking over to pet Ace on his head, and then take off the multiple bandages. "You must be hungry, long as you've been laid out."

Ace's stomach let out a gigantic roar.

"Yeah, can't argue with you there."

The Lobby

"Do you feel better?" Balto asked as they walked out.

"Yeah, thanks for asking," Ace replied. "Hey, Balto?"

"Uh-huh?"

"I was wondering… What power do you have?"

Balto froze up; he'd been expecting Ace to ask that very question, but he hadn't made up a good answer to it. "I haven't discovered it yet," Balto answered instantly, almost automatically.

"Oh… okay." Ace felt bad for asking that question. But at least he knew he wasn't alone. Ranger could lengthen his fangs at will; Speedy had Super Speed; Krypto had Super Speed, Strength, X-Ray Vision, and a lot more; Ace and Balto had nothing. "Do you think we'll find our powers soon?"

Balto put his paw on Ace's shoulder. "Yeah, no doubt about it."

Later, at the Training Center

"Come on, Krypto, is that all ya got?!" Speedy taunted as he gracefully evaded another one of Krypto's punches. Krypto and Speedy had decided to have a little practice spar.

"You're pretty good," Krypto said, throwing another punch at Speedy.

"And you sure they're not going to hurt themselves?" Ace asked Ranger. He, Ranger and Balto were sitting on the chairs near the arena, watching this amazing event.

"Completely sure," Ranger assured. "You know if you want to have a match…"

"Erm… that's okay," Ace said bluntly.

The match was over after Speedy gave Krypto a swift kick to the ribs. "Want to go another round?" Speedy asked, flashing a sly grin.

"Nah, I'm good…" Krypto panted. "Hey, Ranger, 'mind dragging me to the clinic?"

"Not at all," Ranger said casually, as though this sort of thing happened everyday.

He easily threw Krypto over his shoulder and made his way to the clinic.

"Humph, some kind of super dog he is," a dog jeered when Ranger and Krypto were out of earshot. "I could beat him with one paw tied behind my back." The three wheeled around to face a red-furred Greyhound with a way too smug expression on his face. "Sorry to tell ya, but friend doesn't seem fit to be a member of the Unit."

"Take that back!" Ace growled defensively. "What gives you the right to say that?"

"Oh, I don't know, this." The Greyhound pressed a button on his Anthro Watch, which brought up a holographic screen that displayed a purple honorary ribbon with the title "Level 3" on it.

"Big deal!" Ace objected. Of course, he had no idea what that ribbon meant. Speedy stepped forward.

"It is, Ace. That ribbon shows that he is an experienced member. Level 1 –that's where you guys are- is the title given to new recruits. Once you do a couple of easy missions, you'll rise up to Level 2, where you'll be given somewhat more difficult missions. After you've been a member for at least 10 months, and have done at least 50 Level 2 missions, you'll become Level 3. Level 3 members are assigned the second hardest missions. And once you do 100 of those missions, you'll become a Level 4 member, the top rank. Well, besides the Elite, but you have to be chosen for it."

"Well said, Daschound. I believe you could be of _some_ help here."

"Thanks," Speedy said. "Though I think you should show some more respect for your fellow members; we're supposed to be working together."

That comment brought a laugh out the Greyhound. "And what'll you do if I don't?"

Speedy pressed a button on his Anthro Watch and a holographic black ribbon with the words "Elite Member" on it. "I could have you demoted in a flash for this sort of misconduct. You wouldn't want that, would you?"

"C-Crap, I didn't mean to—I mean I'm sorry—aw, dang!" The Greyhound ran for his life; anyone would if they'd anger an Elite.

Speedy chuckled. "I thought so."

"Speedy that was awesome!" Ace cheered. "And umm… What's an Elite?"

"It's a bloodline thing," he answered. "We're kind of like the bosses of this place. Ranger is one, too."

Ace froze up with amazement; he was a friend to two Elites!

The next day: K-9 Unit Lobby

With Ranger and Speedy in a meeting, and Krypto and Balto traveling through HQ, things began to go pretty slow for Ace. His current source of entertainment was eavesdropping into conversations and local gossip.

"Did you hear about the snow storm on Grantus?" a terrier asked a dingo.

"Yeah," he answered, "its happening around my mom's place; I'm kind of worried…" Ace tuned in on a group of girls sitting on the bench.

"My gosh, Nina," one of the girls, a green furred husky consoled, "There _will_ be other guys! Besides, Markus was a jerk."

The other girl, a blue furred, Shiba Inu, sobbed. "But, still, I can't believe he would break up with me like that! Oh… it just makes me wanna…" The Inu eyes began to glow, and a near by group of skaters were doused with water.

"Omigosh! I'm so sorry," she apologized running over to one of the skaters, a Jack Russell Terrier who had just slipped.

"Um… Its okay." He replied. Their eyes met, and a dreamy expression overcame the two of them. Ace hastily decided to walk away and mind someone else's business.

"Tsk, tsk," a voice said as a red furred paw grabbed the scruff in Ace's neck and lifted him up into the air. "Don't you know it's rude to eavesdrop?"

"Hey, let go of me!" Ace commanded the greyhound.

"That ain't going to happen any time soon." The greyhound carried Ace outside to the Unit's park area. "Now, your little friend gave me quite an embarrassment yesterday, and I ain't too happy about it."

"So why do you have me?" Ace asked.

The greyhound threw him down hard. "Well, since I couldn't find that daschound, I decided to destroy the next best thing: You!"

Ace tried to run away, but unfortunately his opponent was too fast; he jumped on top of Ace and pinned him to the ground.

"'Beating a puppy down: Animal Abuse.' That's going to look bad on your resume!" Ace jested while kicking the greyhound in his stomach, but unfortunately the kick proved to be useless. "What's the point of picking on a kid, anyway? You're an adult!"

"You talk too much," the greyhound growled. He gave Ace a punch to his nose.

Meanwhile in the Elite's meeting

"And as you can see," the Dalmatian droned on, "we are steadily losing communications with the Feline unit…"

Speedy began to nod off, but was quickly awakened when he heard a soft growl beside him. "Ranger, what's up?" he whispered.

"I don't know," the Kelpie answered. "I just feel… angry. And for some reason, I keep thinking that Ace is in danger…"

"It's probably just your imagination," Speedy consoled. "Nothing can happen to him as long as he's in the safety of HQ."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Ranger uncertainly decided. "I just can't shake this feeling off…"

Back at the fight scene

"Are you done yet?" Ace asked weakly. He had already been slapped, slammed, punched, thrown, and fed Brussels sprouts to point where he nearly threw up.

"That all depends, are you dead yet?" he asked.

"I feel close."

"Hmm… ok."

Ace tried to stand up, but he would always fall back down.

"Here let me help you," the greyhound offered. He helped Ace up, but immediately threw him into a nearby fountain. "You know what? I've changed my mind!"

"Oh, are you sure about that?" a voice asked.

"Balto!" Ace cried from underwater. "Help me!"

Balto rushed over to the fountain and lifted Ace out of the water. He then set Ace on the ground and told him to find a safe place to hide out.

"I think you owe my friend an apology," Balto growled.

"The kid? Who cares about him or you for that matter? You're both weak."

"Don't talk that way about my friends!" Balto cried, punching the greyhound and sending him through a concrete park bench. Balto looked at fist. He didn't punch him with all of his might.

The greyhound was out cold. Balto took this opportunity to retrieve Ace and head back to the apartment.

At the apartment

As soon as Speedy and Ranger got back from the meeting, Balto asked Speedy to run a test on him to see if he had really discovered his power.

"Yep, no doubt about it," Speedy said, "You have super-strength!"

"Hmm… amazing." Balto said to no one in particular.

Ace's wounds were tended to as soon as they got to the apartment, and he was put to bed immediately after. Soft snoring could be heard coming from his room. As he slept, he dreamt, like most pups his age. He dreamt of his friends, who he treasured. He dreamt of his trials, some successful, some not. He dreamt of Balto, who finally discovered his power. But of all of his dreams, a nightmare stood out among them: What if he never discovered his powers?

Somewhere, inside of a giant castle

"I've failed you master," a red greyhound groveled.

"Indeed you have," the master, a tall German Shephered, acknowledged. "And with failure comes punishment."

"I promise you, master, I will do see to Ace's death next time!"

"You've already broken your promise, slave, for there will not be a next time for you." The Shephered snapped his fingers, and a black hole appeared beneath the greyhound's feet.

"No, master, you can't! Why must it be this way? Why?!" the greyhound fell in, the hole closed, and not another sound was heard.

"That Ace is the only thing stopping me from seeking revenge on that cursed S.A.U.! He must be destroyed!"

_**To be continued…**_


End file.
